Apparatus and method for controlling vehicle

ABSTRACT

In an apparatus for controlling a vehicle equipped with an autonomous sensor and a communication unit, an object detector is configured to determine whether a predefined mobile-object condition is met, where the predefined mobile-object condition indicates that a mobile object detected from detection information received from an external device via the communication unit and a mobile object detected from detection information acquired from the autonomous sensor are the same object. An occupant assister is configured to perform occupant assistance for assisting an occupant of the vehicle, and configured to, in response to a detection accuracy condition being met, determine a mode of occupant assistance as a first mode, and in response to neither the detection accuracy condition nor the mobile-object condition being met, determine the mode of occupant assistance as a second mode is different from the first mode.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is based on Japanese Application No. 2018-136492 filedon Jul. 20, 2018, the contents of which are incorporated herein byreference.

BACKGROUND Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to an apparatus and a method forcontrolling a vehicle.

Related Art

A vehicle control apparatus is known that performs driving assistanceusing information acquired from communication devices around an ownvehicle via vehicle-to-vehicle communication or the like. In a knowndriving assistance system, occupant assistance is performed to assist anoccupant of an own vehicle in response to information acquired viavehicle-to-vehicle communication and vehicle-to-pedestriancommunication.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a vehicle control apparatus;

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a detection time process, that is, a processperformed upon detection of a mobile object;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of an occupant assistance process; and

FIG. 4 is an illustration of an example of automatic braking.

DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS

The above known vehicle control apparatus, as disclosed inJP-A-2005-9933, determines a mode of occupant assistance in response toinformation acquired from communication devices around the own vehicle.However, actually, the detection accuracy of an autonomous sensormounted to the own vehicle is not sufficiently taken into account. Forexample, in a case where the occupant assistance includes providing anotification of start of a preceding vehicle, low detection accuracy ofthe autonomous sensor may cause a false detection that the precedingvehicle has started when it has not, leading to an unnecessarynotification.

In view of the foregoing, it is desired to have a technique forperforming occupant assistance in response to the detection accuracy ofan autonomous sensor.

A first aspect of this disclosure provides an apparatus for controllinga vehicle equipped with an autonomous sensor and a communication unit.The apparatus includes an object detector configured to detect a mobileobject around the vehicle from detection information acquired from theautonomous sensor, a detection accuracy determiner configured todetermine whether a detection state of the autonomous sensor meets apredefined detection accuracy condition, and an occupant assisterconfigured to perform occupant assistance for assisting an occupant ofthe vehicle. The object detector is configured to determine whether apredefined mobile-object condition is met, where the predefinedmobile-object condition indicates that a mobile object detected fromdetection information received from an external device via acommunication unit and a mobile object detected from detectioninformation acquired from the autonomous sensor are the same object. Theoccupant assister is configured to, in response to the detectionaccuracy condition being met, determine a mode of occupant assistance asa first mode of occupant assistance, and in response to neither thedetection accuracy condition nor the mobile-object condition being met,determine the mode of occupant assistance as a second mode of occupantassistance that is different from the first mode of occupant assistance.

In this configuration, if neither the detection accuracy condition northe mobile-object condition is met, the occupant assister determines themode of occupant assistance as the second mode of occupant assistancethat is different from the first mode of occupant assistance, whichenables performance of occupant assistance in response to the detectionaccuracy of the autonomous sensor.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will bedescribed in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, inwhich like reference numerals refer to like or similar elementsregardless of reference numerals and duplicated description thereof willbe omitted.

A. First Embodiment

The vehicle control apparatus 100 illustrated in FIG. 1 performsoccupant assistance of the vehicle 10. The occupant assistance will bedescribed later. In the present embodiment, the vehicle controlapparatus 100 performs autonomous driving of the vehicle 10. The vehicle10 may be manually driven. In the present embodiment, the vehiclecontrol apparatus 100 includes a controller 110, an autonomous sensor120, an own-vehicle location sensor 126, a notifier 140, a communicationunit 200, an autonomous driving controller 210, a driving force controlelectronic control unit (ECU) 220, a braking force control ECU 230, asteering control ECU 240, and an in-vehicle network 250. The controller110, the communication unit 200, the autonomous driving controller 210,the driving force control ECU 220, the braking force control ECU 230,and the steering control ECU 240 are connected to each other via thein-vehicle network 250. As used herein the term “own vehicle” refers toa vehicle equipped with the vehicle control apparatus.

The controller 110 includes, as functional blocks, an object detector112, a detection accuracy determiner 114, and an occupant assister 116.The controller 110 is configured as a microcomputer including a centralprocessing unit (CPU), a read-only memory (ROM), a random-access memory(RAM), and an input/output interface (I/O). Functions of thesecomponents of the controller 110 may be implemented by the CPU executingpreinstalled programs. In an alternative embodiment, some or all ofthese components may be implemented by hardware circuits.

The object detector 112 is configured detect a mobile object around thevehicle 10 using detection information from the autonomous sensor 120,and determines whether the detected mobile object is the same as amobile object indicated by detection information received from anexternal device via the communication unit 200. As used herein the term“mobile object” is a predefined object that is mobile, such as apedestrian, a bicycle, motorcycle, an automobile or the like. Thedetection accuracy determiner 114 determines whether the detectionaccuracy of the autonomous sensor 120 is high. The occupant assister 116performs occupant assistance in response to the detection informationand a content of determination by the detection accuracy determiner 114.As used herein the term “occupant assistance” is assistance provided toan occupant of the vehicle 10. The occupant assistance includesassisting an occupant in driving the vehicle 10 and providing a warningto a mobile object around the vehicle 10.

In the present embodiment, the occupant assistance includes, forexample, adaptive cruise control (ACC), automatic braking, blind spotmonitoring, lane change assistance, preceding-vehicle startnotification, open-door alerting, rear-end collision alerting, and thelike. The “automatic braking” is occupant assistance such that, inresponse to there being a danger of collision between the vehicle 10 anda mobile object, the autonomous driving controller 210 performs controlto automatically decrease a travel speed of the vehicle 10 orautomatically cease traveling of the vehicle 10 or provides a warning toan occupant of the vehicle 10 using a warning sound. The “blind spotmonitoring” is occupant assistance such that, in response to a mobileobject being detected when a lane change is made at a blind spot behindthe vehicle 10 where it is difficult to identify the mobile object usinga door mirror, the notifier 140 lights an indicator in the door mirrorto provide a warning to the driver of the vehicle 10. The “open dooralerting” is occupant assistance such that, in response to a mobileobject moving toward the vehicle 10 being detected when a door of thevehicle 10 is about to be opened, the notifier 140 provides a warning toan occupant using, for example, a warning sound. The “rear-end collisionalerting” is occupant assistance such that, in response to a vehiclefollowing the vehicle 10 being detected and there being a danger ofcollision with the following vehicle, the notifier 140 turns on hazardlights to provide a warning to the following vehicle. The rear-endcollision alerting may include tightening a seat belt in response to ahigh likelihood of collision and displacing the seat to an optimalposition in readiness for an impact with the following vehicle. Theoccupant assistance may also be referred to as driving assistance.

The autonomous sensor 120 is configured to detect objects around thevehicle 10 and includes a camera 122 and an object sensor 124. Thecamera 122 captures images of surroundings of the own vehicle. Thecamera 122 may include, for example, a monocular camera or a stereocamera. The object sensor 124 is configured to detect surroundings ofthe own vehicle. The object sensor 124 may be an object sensor that usesreflected waves, such as Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR), amillimeter-wave radar, an ultrasonic sensor or the like. Each of thecamera 122 and the object sensor 124 may be simply referred to as a“sensor.” Preferably, the autonomous sensor 120 may include a pluralityof sensors.

The own-vehicle location sensor 126 is configured to detect a currentlocation of the vehicle 10. The own-vehicle location sensor 126 mayinclude, for example, a Global Navigation Satellite System(s) (GNSS), agyro sensor or the like.

The notifier 140 is configured to provide a notification or a warning toan occupant of the vehicle 10 or a mobile object around the vehicle 10in occupant assistance. The notifier 140 may be implemented by using,for example, lamps such as light-emitting diodes (LEDs), a displaydevice for displaying drawings and characters, such as a navigationsystem, an audio device such as a speaker, hazard lights, or others.

The communication unit 200 is configured to receive detectioninformation from external devices to the vehicle 10 viavehicle-to-vehicle communication, vehicle-to-pedestrian communication,vehicle-to-infrastructure communication, and the like.

The autonomous driving controller 210 is configured to control thedriving force control ECU 220, the braking force control ECU 230, andthe steering control ECU 240 to implement an autonomous drivingfunction.

The driving force control ECU 220 is an electronic control unitconfigured to control an actuator that generates vehicle driving forces,such as a motor or the like. During manual driving by the driver, thedriving force control ECU 220 controls a power source, such as anengine, an electric motor or the like, in response to a depressionamount of an accelerator pedal. During autonomous driving, the drivingforce control ECU 220 controls the power source in response to arequested driving force calculated by the autonomous driving controller210.

The braking force control ECU 230 is an electronic control unitconfigured to control a braking actuator that generates vehicle brakingforces. During manual driving by the driver, the braking force controlECU 230 controls the braking actuator in response to a depression amountof a brake pedal. During autonomous driving, the braking force controlECU 230 controls the braking actuator in response to a requested brakingforce calculated by the autonomous driving controller 210.

The steering control ECU 240 is an electronic control unit configured tocontrol a motor that generates steering torque. During manual driving bythe driver, the steering control ECU 240 controls the motor in responseto the operation of the steering wheel to generate an assist torque forthe steering operation. This allows the driver to perform the steeringoperation with a small amount of force, thereby implementing steering ofthe vehicle. During autonomous driving, the steering control ECU 240controls the motor in response to a requested steering angle calculatedby the autonomous driving controller 210 to perform steering.

A detection time process illustrated in FIG. 2 includes a series ofoperational steps for determining a mode of occupant assistance inresponse to the detection accuracy of the autonomous sensor 120. Duringoperation of the vehicle control apparatus 100, the detection timeprocess is performed repeatedly by the controller 110 in response to theobject detector 112 detecting a mobile object from detection informationfrom the autonomous sensor 120.

At step S100, the detection accuracy determiner 114 determines whether adetection state of the autonomous sensor 120 meets a detection accuracycondition. If the detection accuracy condition is met, it may bedetermined that the detection accuracy of the autonomous sensor 120 ishigh. For example, at least one of the following conditions may beemployed as the detection accuracy condition.

First detection accuracy condition: Two or more of a plurality ofsensors of the autonomous sensor 120 have detected a mobile object.Second detection accuracy condition: It is not poor weather. Morespecifically, it is not, for example, rainy weather, snowy weather, orfoggy weather. Third detection accuracy condition: It is not nighttime.More specifically, it is, for example, between the time of sunrise andthe time of sunset. Fourth detection accuracy condition: It is notbacklit, more specifically, for example, the travel direction of thevehicle 10 is not directed toward the sun when the sun is at a lowposition. Fifth detection accuracy condition: The whole of the mobileobject is within a spatial detection range of the autonomous sensor 120.Sixth detection accuracy condition: Mobile objects detected fromdetection information from the respective sensors of the autonomoussensor 120 are the same object.

If the first detection accuracy condition is not met, only one sensorhas detected a mobile object. In such a case, there is likely a falsedetection and thus the detection accuracy may be estimated to be low.Therefore, preferably, the detection accuracy condition includes thefirst detection accuracy condition.

If the second detection accuracy condition is not met, for example, ifit is rainy weather, the detection accuracy of the LIDAR that is theobject sensor 124 decreases. The weather may be acquired from anexternal server via the communication unit 200. In an alternativeembodiment, the weather may be determined by detecting raindrops usingimage recognition or a rain sensor.

If the third detection accuracy condition is not met, the detectionaccuracy of the camera 122 decreases due to reduced contrast arisingfrom backlighting or reduced intensity of illumination of headlights ofan oncoming vehicle. The times of sunrise and sunset may be acquiredfrom an external server via the communication unit 200. In analternative embodiment, instead of using of the times of sunrise andsunset, it may be determined that it is not nighttime if the light leveldetected by a light-level sensor for detecting the brightness in theoutside of the vehicle is equal to or greater than a predeterminedthreshold.

If the fourth detection accuracy condition is not met, for example, ifthe travel direction of the vehicle 10 is directed toward the sun duringsunset, that is, when the sun is at a low position, the detectionaccuracy of the camera 122 decreases due to backlighting of the sun. Theposition of the sun may be acquired from an external server via thecommunication unit 200.

If the fifth detection accuracy condition is not met, that is, if only aportion of a mobile object is within the spatial detection range of theautonomous sensor 120, the detection accuracy may be estimated to below. The detection range of the autonomous sensor 120 may be marginallygreater than in the specification of each sensor or may be changeddepending on a travel condition, such as the weather, the time of day orthe like. For example, the detection range of the camera 122 duringnighttime may be considered to be shorter than during daytime. Thedetection range of the object sensor 124 when it is raining or snowingmay be considered to be shorter than when it is not raining or snowing.

If the sixth detection accuracy condition is not met, there is likely afalse detection and thus the detection accuracy may be estimated to below. A determination as to whether mobile objects detected fromdetection information from the respective sensors of the autonomoussensor 120 are the same object is made based on whether a mobile-objectcondition described later is met.

The above first to sixth detection accuracy conditions and otherdetection accuracy conditions may be appropriately combined to provide adetection accuracy condition. In the present embodiment, the firstdetection accuracy condition is used.

If the detection accuracy condition is met, that is, if the detectionaccuracy of the autonomous sensor 120 is determined to be high, theprocess flow proceeds to step S125, and the occupant assister 116determines the mode of occupant assistance as the first mode of occupantassistance. If the detection accuracy condition is not met, that is, ifthe detection accuracy of the autonomous sensor 120 is determined to below, the process flow proceeds to step S110. At step S110, the objectdetector 112 determines whether the mobile-object condition is met. Themobile-object condition is a predefined condition indicating that amobile object detected from detection information acquired from theautonomous sensor 120 (hereinafter referred to as a “first mobileobject”) and a mobile object detected from detection informationreceived from an external device via the communication unit 200 of thevehicle 10 (hereinafter referred to as a “second mobile object”) are thesame object. If this mobile-object condition is met, it may bedetermined that the detection information acquired from the autonomoussensor 120 is not a false detection. For example, one or more of thefollowing conditions may be employed to provide the mobile-objectcondition.

First mobile-object condition: A difference in position between thefirst mobile object and the second mobile object is less than apredetermined value. Second mobile-object condition: A difference inspeed between the first mobile object and the second mobile object isless than a predetermined value. Third mobile-object condition: Adifference in acceleration between the first mobile object and thesecond mobile object is less than a predetermined value. Fourthmobile-object condition: A difference in width between the first mobileobject and the second mobile object is less than a predetermined value.Fifth mobile-object condition: A difference in height between the firstmobile object and the second mobile object is less than a predeterminedvalue. Sixth mobile-object condition: A difference in depth between thefirst mobile object and the second mobile object is less than apredetermined value. Seventh mobile-object condition: The first mobileobject and the second mobile object are of the same type. Adetermination as to whether the seventh mobile-object condition is metmay be made by, for example, estimating a type of a mobile object usingpattern matching. In the present embodiment, the term “type” meansdistinguishing between a four-wheel vehicle, a two-wheel vehicle, and apedestrian. A bicycle and a motorcycle may be treated as differenttypes. A cargo truck and a passenger car may be treated as differenttypes. A bicycle and a pedestrian moving in the longitudinal directionof the vehicle 10 may be treated as the same type.

The above first to seventh mobile-object conditions and othermobile-object conditions may be appropriately combined to provide amobile-object condition. For example, the first to sixth mobile-objectconditions are used and the difference in each of the first to sixthmobile-object conditions is weighted. It may be determined that amobile-object condition is met if the weighted value of difference ineach mobile-object condition is equal to or less than a respectivepredetermined value. In the present embodiment, the above first toseventh mobile-object conditions are used.

If the mobile-object condition is met, that is, if it can be determinedthat the first mobile object and the second mobile object are the samemobile object, the process flow proceeds to step S125. At step S125, theoccupant assister 116 determines the mode of occupant assistance as thefirst mode of occupant assistance. If the mobile-object condition is notmet, that is, if it can be determined that the first mobile object andthe second mobile object are not the same mobile object, the processflow proceeds to step S120. At step S120, the occupant assister 116determines the mode of occupant assistance as the second mode ofoccupant assistance that is different from the first mode of occupantassistance. In the present embodiment, the second mode of occupantassistance is performed at a timing later than the first mode ofoccupant assistance. Finally, at step S130, the occupant assister 116performs the occupant assistance. In the present embodiment, automaticbraking will now be described as an example of occupant assistance.

In the occupant assistance process illustrated in FIG. 3 (at step S130in FIG. 2), at step S200, the occupant assister 116 determines whetherthe mode of occupant assistance is the first mode of occupantassistance. If the mode of occupant assistance is the first mode ofoccupant assistance, the process flow proceeds to step S210. At stepS210, the occupant assister 116 determines a threshold Th for theexpected time to collision Tc as a first value Th1. The expected time tocollision Tc will be described later. If the mode of occupant assistanceis not the first mode of occupant assistance, that is, if the mode ofoccupant assistance is the second mode of occupant assistance, theprocess flow proceeds to step S215. At step S215, the occupant assister116 determines the threshold Th for the expected time to collision Tc asa second value Th2 that is greater than the first value Th1.

Subsequently, at step S220, the occupant assister 116 calculates anexpected time to collision Tc. The expected time to collision Tc can becalculated according to the following equation (1).

Tc=ΔL/ΔV  (1)

As illustrated in FIG. 4, ΔL is a distance between the own vehicle VL1and a mobile object VL2. ΔV is a relative speed between the own vehicleVL1 and the mobile object VL2. A position and a speed of the mobileobject VL2 may be acquired using only detection information from theautonomous sensor 120, using only detection information received via thecommunication unit 200, or using information acquired by a fusionprocess in which the detection information from the autonomous sensor120 and the detection information received via the communication unit200 are fused or combined, for example, a simple average or a weightedaverage depending on positions and types of sensors is calculated.

Subsequently, at step S230, the occupant assister 116 determines whetherthe expected time to collision Tc is equal to or less than the thresholdTh. If the expected time to collision Tc is equal to or less than thethreshold Th, the process flow proceeds to step S240. At step S240, theoccupant assister 116 notifies the braking force control ECU 230 of acommand to actuate the brakes. If the expected time to collision Tc isgreater than the threshold Th, the process flow returns to step S220.That is, steps S220 and S230 are repeated until the expected time tocollision Tc is less than or equal to the threshold Th. In someembodiments, if a predetermined time period has elapsed or a distancebetween the own vehicle VL1 and the mobile object VL2 is greater than apredetermined distance, then the process flow may end.

With the vehicle control apparatus 100 set forth above according to thepresent embodiment, if the detection accuracy condition is not met and amobile object detected by the autonomous sensor 120 is not detected fromdetection information received from an external device via thecommunication unit 200, the occupant assister 116 determines the mode ofoccupant assistance as the second mode of occupant assistance that isdifferent from the first mode of occupant assistance. This enablesperformance of occupant assistance in response to the detection accuracyof the autonomous sensor 120. In cases where the detection accuracy ofthe autonomous sensor 120 is high, various types of occupant assistancemay be performed even in the absence of communication devices around thevehicle 10.

B. Modifications

In an alternative embodiment to the embodiment set forth above, theoccupant assister 116 may determine information about the mobile objectVL2 used in the occupant assistance process according to the detectionaccuracy of the autonomous sensor 120. For example, if the detectionaccuracy condition is met, only detection information from theautonomous sensor 120 may be used, but detection information receivedfrom an external device via the communication unit 200 may not be used.If the detection accuracy condition is not met and the mobile-objectcondition is met, information may be used that is acquired byfusion-processing detection information from the autonomous sensor 120and detection information received from an external device via thecommunication unit 200. If neither the detection accuracy condition northe mobile-object condition is met, only detection information receivedfrom an external device via the communication unit 200 may be used.

In the embodiment set forth above, occupant assistance is performed inthe second mode of occupant assistance at a later timing than in thefirst mode of occupant assistance. In an alternative embodiment,occupant assistance is performed in the second mode of occupantassistance to a lesser extent than in the first mode of occupantassistance. In an example where occupant assistance includes providing awarning sound, the warning sound may be provided more softly in thesecond mode of occupant assistance than in the first mode of occupantassistance, or a duration of a warning sound in the second mode ofoccupant assistance may be less than a duration in the first mode ofoccupant assistance. In another example where occupant assistanceincludes illuminating an indicator, the indicator is lit at a lowerilluminance level in the second mode of occupant assistance than in thefirst mode of occupant assistance. In still another example whereoccupant assistance includes performing adaptive cruise control (ACC),acceleration and deceleration rates may be lower in the second mode ofoccupant assistance than in the first mode of occupant assistance, orupper and lower limits of inter-vehicle distance or upper and lowerlimits of inter-vehicle time in the first and second modes of occupantassistance may be changed. The term “inter-vehicle time” is aninter-vehicle distance divided by a speed of the own vehicle VL1. Inaddition, different modes of occupant assistance may correspond todifferent functions of occupant assistance.

In an alternative embodiment to the embodiment set forth above, theoccupant assister 116 may determine the mode of occupant assistance asthe second mode of occupant assistance in response to the detectionaccuracy of the autonomous sensor 120. For example, in a case where amobile object is detected by only one sensor within spatial detectionranges of the plurality of sensors, there is likely a false detectionand the detection accuracy is low as compared to a case where a mobileobject is detected by only a certain sensor within a spatial detectionrange of the certain sensor. Therefore, in such a case, the occupantassister 116 may determine the mode of occupant assistance as a modesuch that occupant assistance is performed to a lesser extent.

In the embodiment set forth above, the object detector 112 determineswhether a mobile object detected from detection information acquiredfrom the autonomous sensor 120 (i.e., a first mobile object) and amobile object detected from detection information received from anexternal device via the communication unit 200 of the vehicle 10 (i.e.,a second mobile object) are the same object. In an alternativeembodiment, the object detector 112 may further determine whether mobileobjects detected from detection information received from a plurality ofexternal devices via the communication unit 200 of the vehicle 10 arethe same object. In determining whether the first mobile object and thesecond mobile object are the same object, the object detector 112 maydetermine a mobile object detected by the maximum number of externaldevices as the second mobile object.

In an alternative embodiment to the embodiment set forth above, if thesixth detection accuracy condition is not met, the object detector 112may determine a mobile object detected by the minimum number of sensorsas a first mobile object. In a case where such a mobile object is notmoving, there is less likely a false detection as compared to caseswhere a mobile object is moving. Therefore, in such a case where themobile object detected by the minimum number of sensors is not moving, amobile object detected by the second minimum number of sensors may bedetermined as a first mobile object.

In the present embodiment, the autonomous driving controller 210 may beconfigured to determine a mode of driving assistance in response to thedetection accuracy in a similar manner as in the occupant assistance.For example, in a case where neither the detection accuracy conditionnor the mobile-object condition is met, the autonomous drivingcontroller 210 may determine the mode of driving assistance as a mode ofdriving assistance such that, in autonomous driving, braking isperformed at a timing later as compared to a case where the detectionaccuracy condition is met.

The present disclosure is not limited to any of the embodiments setforth above, the examples and the modifications described above but maybe implemented by a diversity of other configurations without departingfrom the scope of the disclosure. For example, the technical features ofthe embodiments, examples or modifications corresponding to thetechnical features of the respective aspects may be replaced or combinedappropriately, in order to solve part or all of the issues describedabove or in order to achieve part or all of the advantages describedabove. Any of the technical features may be omitted appropriately unlessthe technical feature is described as essential herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus for controlling a vehicle,comprising: an object detector configured to detect a mobile objectaround the vehicle from detection information acquired from anautonomous sensor mounted to the vehicle; a detection accuracydeterminer configured to determine whether a detection state of theautonomous sensor meets a predefined detection accuracy condition; anoccupant assister configured to perform occupant assistance forassisting an occupant of the vehicle, wherein the object detector isconfigured to determine whether a predefined mobile-object condition ismet, the predefined mobile-object condition indicating that a mobileobject detected from detection information received from an externaldevice via a communication unit mounted to the vehicle and a mobileobject detected from detection information acquired from the autonomoussensor are the same object, and the occupant assister is configured to,in response to the detection accuracy condition being met, determine amode of occupant assistance as a first mode of occupant assistance, andin response to neither the detection accuracy condition nor themobile-object condition being met, determine the mode of occupantassistance as a second mode of occupant assistance that is differentfrom the first mode of occupant assistance.
 2. The apparatus accordingto claim 1, wherein the mobile object detected from the detectioninformation acquired from the autonomous sensor is referred to as afirst mobile object, the mobile object detected from the detectioninformation received from the external device via the communication unitis referred to as a second mobile object, and the mobile-objectcondition comprises: at least one of a first mobile-object conditionthat a difference in position between the first mobile object and thesecond mobile object is less than a predetermined value, a secondmobile-object condition that a difference in speed between the firstmobile object and the second mobile object is less than a predeterminedvalue, a third mobile-object condition that a difference in accelerationbetween the first mobile object and the second mobile object is lessthan a predetermined value, a fourth mobile-object condition that adifference in width between the first mobile object and the secondmobile object is less than a predetermined value, a fifth mobile-objectcondition that a difference in height between the first mobile objectand the second mobile object is less than a predetermined value, a sixthmobile-object condition that a difference in depth between the firstmobile object and the second mobile object is less than a predeterminedvalue; or a seventh mobile-object condition that the first mobile objectand the second mobile object are of the same type.
 3. The vehiclecontrol apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second mode ofoccupant assistance is performed at a timing later than the first modeof occupant assistance.
 4. The apparatus according to claim 1, whereinthe occupant assistance includes automatic braking to automaticallydecelerate or cease traveling of the vehicle.
 5. The apparatus accordingto claim 1, wherein the autonomous sensor comprises a plurality ofsensors, and the detection accuracy condition comprises a condition thatthe mobile object is detected by two or more of the plurality ofsensors.
 6. A method for controlling a vehicle, comprising: determiningwhether a detection state of an autonomous sensor mounted to the vehiclemeets a predefined detection accuracy condition; determining whether apredefined mobile-object condition is met, the predefined mobile-objectcondition indicating that a mobile object detected from detectioninformation received from an external device via a communication unitmounted to the vehicle and a mobile object detected from detectioninformation acquired from the autonomous sensor are the same object,determining a mode of occupant assistance as a first mode of occupantassistance in response to the detection accuracy condition being met,and determining the mode of occupant assistance as a second mode ofoccupant assistance that is different from the first mode of occupantassistance in response to neither the detection accuracy condition northe mobile-object condition being met.
 7. An apparatus for controlling avehicle, comprising: a non-transitory memory storing one or morecomputer programs; a processor executing the one or more computerprograms to: detect a mobile object around the vehicle from detectioninformation acquired from an autonomous sensor mounted to the vehicle;determine whether a detection state of the autonomous sensor meets apredefined detection accuracy condition; and perform occupant assistancefor assisting an occupant of the vehicle, wherein the processor furtherexecutes one or more programs to: determine whether a predefinedmobile-object condition is met, the predefined mobile-object conditionindicating that a mobile object detected from detection informationreceived from an external device via a communication unit mounted to thevehicle and a mobile object detected from detection information acquiredfrom the autonomous sensor are the same object; determine a mode ofoccupant assistance as a first mode of occupant assistance in responseto the detection accuracy condition being met; and determine the mode ofoccupant assistance as a second mode of occupant assistance that isdifferent from the first mode of occupant assistance in response toneither the detection accuracy condition nor the mobile-object conditionbeing met.